To the windowww, to the wall….
During this spring time when the sun starts showing it’s pretty face more often, it gets us thinking two things… 1- you need window treatment and 2- our windows are filthy (just us…..okayyyyy nothing to see here, moving on). Let’s talk about the perfect window treatment and styles that will rock your world!
Whether you have lived in your house forrrr-ever or have recently moved in, there is one thing we can all agree on…. no one likes to live in a fishbowl feeling exposed from the lack of window treatment. Adding the perfect window treatment is however usually the last thing to be added to a space. This is for many reasons, but the main one seems to be that those little buggers can be costly. But we think it’s totally worth it!
One main reason to add window treatment is to help with sun protection. You can do this in many ways that will help your furniture and floors from changing and fading colors. It also helps with providing a layer (pun intended) of energy efficiency to your home. This may in the end help with a little ROI on your heating and cooling bill too. It might not be the first thing you think about for ‘window treatments”, however this can be done by adding a window film to the inside of your windows. The nice thing is they can be installed after your windows are in place. They also come in a million different options! For example, film options for how to reflect the sun’s rays, options of the color you want to choose (or clear) and you can cover some of the largest windows with no seams. Bonus note: window film can also be installed in areas like showers, garage windows and doors, cabinets glass, etc. It is a relatively fast install that will have a huge pay off in the end! For any and all locals, we highly encourage you to check out FiveStar Window Coating www.fiveswc.com
Options galore ….
When you think about options and what is right for your space, it can be a lot to think about. Knowing where to gather the right measurements from, how to install, and all of the details you might not think about can add up to some costly mistakes. This is an area we excel at as back in 2008, when we graduated MSU with our Interior Design degrees (during the recession) one of our own, Kendra Steinhaus landed her first job in a custom window treatment company. Here is our snip it of some window treatment options that can provide functions to your windows and spaces.
Privacy blinds (mini, faux, etc.) = great for filtering light ad enhancing privacy.
Café curtains = great for provide semi private viewing in a kitchen, baths and or small windows.
Roman shades = energy efficient and kid friendly… plus they add a lot of texture as they can be fabric or woven materials to name a few.
Cellular shades = super energy efficient, filter light and reduces noise.
Drapery = totally customizable, prevents dust buildup, and can help sleep with blackout option.
Shutters = adds a different style and function of light control. Can be blackout or allow a lot of light in.
Valances and cornices = valances are soft top treatment always made by a drapery manufacture and a cornice is a top treatment constructed out of wood. (note: sometimes a valance will have some wood to help support and give it structure)
Hardware … oh the hardware. Curtain rods, clips, tension rods, brackets, tiebacks, traverses, tracks, wall rings, etc. There are so many options to take in when pulling your design together.
Operations- do you stack to the left or right, do you want up-down (goes both ways), do you want them to have an added level of technology and control them from a remote or even your phone? All of these al la carte options provide you endless looks and feels. One thing to keep in mind is the codes change as we recently made the change in MI to make sure that any that have ‘loose cords’ to operate must be now screwed in place at time of install. THANK HEAVENS!
Other things to think about is how full do drapes need to be, do you puddle or not puddle, where to mount your hardware, what does openness even mean, reverse roll …..what?? There is no way to capture all of the details in one blog post, so we will leave you with some window treatment inspo and know you are one phone call or email away from having help making your windows shine!